Spirits of the Past
by whereisyourredscarf
Summary: Following the death of her father, Christine Daae is lost. Soon after, her entire world is flipped upside down. The home she's known for nearly 10 years is sold and before she knows it, she's moving into a tiny apartment on the other side of the country with her mother as her only company. As life at a new school begins, it seems that memories are popping up everywhere she looks
1. Help Me Let Go

Life had never been too kind to my family.

"...et revertatur pulvis omnes cinis. Amen."

The priest finished his prayer, and the silence drew me out of my thoughts. Quiet tears and sobs could be heard as they finished lowering my father's casket into the ground. I had heard the Latin prayer so many times. Far too many for someone of my age. I attended my first funeral at a mere two weeks old. Obviously, I don't remember it, but my mother would always tell me the story.

"Oh Christine, your grandmother loved you so much. She only held you once, but you could see it in how she looked at you. You were her first grandchild, and she loved you like no one loved anything else. That day, we dressed you in a grey gown. She loved you so much that she made sure to stay alive long enough to hold you, just once." My mother and her mother had been best friends. Inseparable. Even now, seventeen years later, she still tears up at the story. Life was already hard after my grandmother died. Life seemed to be better by the time I was 5. This is when my sister, Charlotte, was born. By the time I was eight, Charlotte had contracted Meningitis and joined my Grandmother in Heaven.

When I was twelve, my mother became pregnant once again, this time with a baby boy that they were going to name Malcolm. However, she had a miscarriage just after entering her second trimester. Death soon tried to claim another when my mother slit her wrists after losing Malcolm. Thankfully, my father had just come home, and mother had to spend 3 months in the hospital while she was getting the help she needed. Since then, it had just been the three of us. Mom, Dad, and me. That was until today.

"Christine?" The warm call of my mother pulled me out of my fantasies. This had been happening more often, but now I had to face reality. My father was gone, buried six feet under. The same as my grandmother, my sister, and my unborn brother. I was alone. Well, almost.

I acknowledged my mother, standing up from the chair I had been seated in and began walking towards her. As we neared the cemetery's exit, I turned once more to see the plot of dirt, now fully covered. I turned to my mother as I felt her soft touch on my back, giving me a reassuring nod as we exited the cemetery.

Once we had climbed into the car, I buckled my seatbelt hearing the engine turn over and cool air from the air conditioning hitting my face as it began to warm up. My mother backed out of the parking lot, heading towards our home. It was odd to even call it that. Yes, we had dealt with our amount of grief in our time, but no matter what life had thrown at us, whether it was death or moving cross-country, I knew that there would always be my mother and father, waiting at home. The other of never being in the same room as my father again felt like a stab to the chest. As we drove past the banks of snow, my mind wandered off into my memories.

"Christine, my little angel. Please don't cry." I was back in the hospital, room 324. By the time my father passed, I had spent so much time there that I could paint a picture. The eggshell white walls that always remained blank. The hospital bed, covered in blank, white sheets, a cream-colored blanket. The only color that spoke out in the room was a blue bear that I had brought my dad from home. He had given it to me when I was younger, but even I could realize that he needed it more than I did. Tuberculosis was a horrible disease. It didn't help that it was an airborne spread disease, which meant that whenever I visited my father, I had to wear a face mask, making me feel even more separated from my slowly fading father. I continued to sit by his bedside while my mother was talking to the doctor. My father's weak, slightly wrinkled hand reached up to my face, wiping away a tear with his own thumb in one swift motion.

"I'm sorry Papa. I'm trying to be optimistic, but it's so hard. I see how you're hurting. I wish there was something I could do to stop it." I sobbed, as a couple more tears escaped from my eyelids.

"Oh sweet Christine, please do not worry. Yes, I may die, but if I do, you will not be alone. You will have your mother."

"But it won't be the same without you…" I quickly interjected.

"I promise you that when I am in Heaven, I will send the angel of music to you, Christine." My father gave me a crooked smile.

"Don't talk like that, Papa! You are not going to die. You need to stay here, with me. With mother! We can't survive without you! You are our lives." I was now convulsively sobbing.

"My time is coming, min lilla ängel. Please, always remember that I love you." Then, without any warning, my father laid back on his bed. At first, I thought he had just grown tired, resting his head back on the bed. My fantasy was quickly crushed as I heard the loud, long beep of the EKG machine. Doctors and nurses ran in, and I was escorted from the room as they attempted to save my father's life. But it was too late. He was gone.

"Christine? What's on your mind?" My mind was brought back into reality once again as I heard my mother speak to me. I noticed that a few tears had rolled down my face. I quickly wiped them away as I remained silent. "Christine. Please talk to me. I know you're hurting. I know things are moving fast. I want to help." My mother chided.

"What? What are you going to do, mother? Dad is dead! There's nothing you can do! Add that on top of the fact that you decide that we need to move back to our hometown, how can you expect me to be feeling?" I gasped at my sudden burst of outrage. It was like I had been taken over by a demon, releasing all of my inner thoughts that I never dare thought to burden my poor mother with. I couldn't believe how selfish I was being. I quickly remembered that he was her husband and she missed him just as much, if not more than I did. An awkward silence resounded throughout the vehicle. I finally spoke up. "I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean it that way. I'm just struggling."

"I understand." She said, with a tone smooth as silk. "We both are. We just need to be there for each other during this difficult time." I smiled at her comment. No matter what, she always knew just what to say.

**Hi again! Long-time no see! I've been writing, reworking, rewriting, and doing everything to this story for nearly 4 years now. I'm about 7 chapters deep, but the goal is to update weekly on Thursdays in the early afternoon. I'm really attached to this story now, so I hope you all enjoy it! Feel free to follow and review! They really do mean the world to me! Much Love!**

**-0livia-Phoebe**


	2. It Could Be A Beautiful Morning

After a minute more, we pulled into the driveway of our home. My eyes glanced at the "**For Sale**" sign in the front yard. I suddenly noticed a change from my normal view of the sign. A bright red "**SOLD**" sticker had been plastered over the previously empty "For Sale" sign.

Once the doctors told us that was a very unlikely chance that my father would survive, my mother put the house up on the market. Within weeks, it had sold. My mother turned off the engine, allowing the car to fall silent. We both stepped out of our respective doors, closing them behind us and began to head into our home. It was odd to call it that, as it was only ours for a short while longer. It hardly even felt like a home at this point. Boxes cluttered the large living room with a variety of labels. Half-heartedly wrapped dishes lay in a box labeled "kitchen". A box of semi-folded clothes with a sloppily written "Christine's Room" on the front of the box. I vaguely remembered writing it on there at two in the morning one night when I couldn't sleep.

"Christine?" My head perked up at the call of my name. "I'm going to heat something for dinner." I heard my mother call from the kitchen.

"Okay," I replied, blankly. A long pause surrounded the large space between us.

"Why don't you call Meg?" I had to admit, it was a good idea. We hadn't talked since the night before dad died.

"Alright. I'll be in my room." I headed up the spiraling staircase that led directly to my room. I sat on my bed and pulled out my cell phone, quickly dialing my friend's phone number. Meg and I had known each other since we were babies. We were born on the same day, in the same hospital. Our mothers shared a room after we were born, and they became best friends, automatically making Meg and I best friends, even from birth. We had spent all of our birthdays together, taking dance classes together, everything and anything that could be done together, we made sure that we did it together. It was hard when my family moved away, but somehow we managed to keep our friendship alive, even living a thousand miles apart. The phone rang a few times before I heard a chipper voice pick up on the other line.

"Hello!"

"Hi Meg, how are you?"

"I'm good. How are you doing?"

"You know, I'm hanging in there."

"Look, I know these last couple of weeks have been rough, but I'm super proud of you for sticking everything out. The funeral was today, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Mom sent a card in the mail yesterday, so it should be there tomorrow." I chuckled lightly, knowing that tomorrow was the last day we would be in the house.

"Just in time."

"Yeah. I tried to get her to send it earlier, but you know mom. I know you're not super excited about moving back, but once you're back, I know you'll love it!"

"I guess so."

"Plus, they just built a Starbucks downtown, and I am SO ready for a Frappuccino date with you!" I cringed as I heard a squeal come from the other side of the line. I lightly chuckled at my friend's immense excitement.

"Can I ask you something, Meg?"

"Sure! Anything!"

"Do you think it's weird that I'm dreading going back to Garnier? I mean, it's where I'm from. I should be excited right? But whenever I think about starting school there again, I just...I don't know. My brain starts freaking out."

"I think everyone's brain is like that sometimes. I mean, yeah, you lived here, but that was forever ago. You're just nervous. Anyone would be if they were in your shoes.

"Yeah, I guess. It's just all of this anxiety building up and all." A long pause rang out, filling the room with silence. "Another question for you."

"Sure thing!"

"Does Cora Giudicelli still go there?" My ear was suddenly filled with an audible groan from the other line. I chuckled a bit at the reaction. "I'll take that as a yes?"

"Oh, you have no idea. Since you left, she's become, like the Regina George of the school."

"The...who?"

"Regina George? Mean Girls? My entire life?" I still had no idea what she was talking about, so I just stayed silent. "Okay. I know what we're doing as soon as you get here. Anyway, she's like the queen bee of the school. She thinks she runs the place, but hardly anyone can stand her. The worst thing is she isn't your normal 'Head cheerleader, peppy, skinny, blonde' popular girl."

I felt a pit of anxiety begin to form in my stomach. "Don't worry though. She won't bug you. She can't really _do_ anything to you. I know you guys had that fall out in fifth grade, but it was _**fifth grade**_. If she's not over it by now, that's her problem. Why are you even worrying about her? I told you, this is gonna be the year of Megstine!"

"Megstine?" I asked, quite confused.

"Meg and Christine? Just, mashed together. Don't worry, babe. Just stick with me and you'll be fine." Suddenly, I heard a distant voice come from the other side of the line. "That's my mom. I've gotta go. I'll see you in a couple of days, okay? Call me as soon as you get into town!"

"Sure thing! Bye, Meg!"

"Bye!" I hung up the phone and placed it on my bed. I immediately joined it, staring at the ceiling.

I noticed the poster I had hanging from my ceiling. It was one of those inspirational posters; a cat hanging from a branch saying "Hang in there!". If only it were that easy. I related to that cat. Except I didn't have nice words hanging above me, encouraging me to hold on. My tree branch had been snapped and I was falling down an endless pit. So many things were changing and at such a fast rate. Soon, I would say goodbye to this bedroom. This bedroom had been my safe haven. Through three car wrecks, two boyfriends, my dad's diagnosis. The pink and lilac walls were welcoming, adorned with many pictures of my friends and me throughout my high school years. It was a nice room. It was a nice house. It sat on a quiet street, in a nice neighborhood. We had bought it after my father's job had moved us cross-country when I was nine. I had called this house home for nearly eight years now. My father would play his violin in the backyard while my mother and I would dance around, our dog running around and knocking us over. We would spend all day raking up the leaves from the big oak trees, only to jump in the pile, spreading them across the lawn once more. Now, the living room where we had spent so much time together was cluttered with boxes and would simply become another empty room. The backyard where we would play all raked and prepared for the new owners. The carpets were scrubbed of all of the stains we had left. The grape juice, the peanut butter, the tears, the blood. All in a flash, I would be leaving this place, my friends, my home, my life.

And who knew what the future held?

**Hi All! Sorry for the late upload; I definitely meant to upload this morning (I usually upload during my EDPS class), but I've been feeling a little under the weather. Anyways, I have a 6-hour shift at the theatre tomorrow and almost no homework, so I'm hoping to get a couple more chapters under my belt. I'm about halfway through chapter 7 right now, but I want to try to build up as much as I can just in case I can't write for any amount of time. Anyways, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the story so far. It's a bit slow at first, I know, but it will get better! Love y'all!**

**Olivia**


	3. You're Allowed To Move On

**Hello all! I apologize for my absence, but in case you haven't noticed, the world is in turmoil right now haha. I have written up to chapter 7, so there's some material still coming your way, but I'm still working full-time while trying to finish the semester alongside this, so please understand that those come first for me. I know it's a bit slow at first, but I promise it picks up once we get to the next chapter. Anyways, I hope you all are healthy and well, and enjoy this chapter!**

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"There we go!" My mother exclaimed as we carried the last of the boxes into our new apartment. I breathed a sigh of relief as I set the heavy box down in the living room. We had left our house in Atlanta at six that morning and drove all the way through. Thankfully, we had gotten rid of a lot of our stuff before we moved and moving our stuff into the apartment only took about two hours. I looked down at my wrist to check the time, only to realize that my watch was packed away with my other belongings.

"What time is it?" I asked her.

"It's a quarter after eight. I guess we should probably get something to eat, huh?" My stomach growled at the thought of food.

"Yeah. I barely ate anything for lunch." I said, remembering our five-minute gas station stop for food.

"How about this? The truck rental place closes in fifteen minutes. I'll zoom over there to return the truck, and you can call that pizza place downtown. Get half pepperoni and mushroom and half whatever you want. I'll pick it up on the way home."

"Sounds good!" I said, pulling out my cell phone.

"Remember to put it under my name! I love you! I'll be back soon." With that, she headed out the door. I googled the phone number for the pizza place and punched it into my phone's keyboard. The line rang until I heard the phone pick up.

"Pizza Palace. Will this be for carry-out or delivery?" I heard a blank, emotionless voice.

"Carry-Out, please!" I tried to remain chipper, although this employee was not helping.

"Name?"

"Sophia Daae."

"Alright, what can I get you tonight?"

"I'd like a large pizza, half pepperoni, and mushrooms, the other half pepperoni, and sausage."

"Anything else?" The lifeless voice questioned, with an unpleasant tone in her voice.

"Nope! I think that's it."

"Alright, it's gonna be 15.50 in about fifteen minutes."

"Thank-" I heard the phone click on the other line. "-you…" I clicked out the call, only to see that I had eight messages from Meg. I thought it best to call her. I quickly held down the "4" button, her speed dial.

"HEY CHRISTINE!" I nearly jumped back at the amount of hyperactivity that met my ear.

"Hey, Meg…" I was hesitant to ask my next question, feeling that I already knew the answer. "How much coffee have you had today?"

"A LOT! I'M AT STARBUCKS RIGHT NOW!" She audibly gasped, "ARE YOU IN GARNIER YET?"

"Yeah. We just finished unloading the truck." I quietly said.

"OMIGOSH I'LL BE RIGHT OVER! I'M TOTALLY GETTING YOU SOMETHING! WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

"Meg, you realize we had Starbucks in Georgia too, right? What I really need is for you to calm down and not wreck from a caffeine overload while driving over here. Besides, you know I don't drink caffeine." I heard Meg take a few audible deep breaths.

"Okay, cool, cool, cool, cool, I'm cool. Who's not cool? I'm not cool? Who said that I'm not cool? I'm cool. I'm cooly cool. Coolio daddio." There was a long moment of silence.

"Are you done yet?" I asked, blankly.

"Yeah, sorry. I'll be over there in five minutes." With that, I ended the call and went to my bedroom.

I looked down and realized that I was still wearing my pajamas from that morning. I hadn't really felt up to changing for an uncomfortable drive. However, I didn't think Meg really wanted to have our first memory back together involve me sitting awkwardly in my pajamas. I opened the suitcase that was sitting on my bedroom floor, turning over clothes until I found my favorite pair of black leggings and my shirt from my production of "HONK!" from my old high school. I ripped off my pajamas, throwing them into a corner that would become a growing dirty-clothes-pile. I proceeded to hastily put the new outfit on. I scavenged through my purse to find my hairbrush and mascara. I had never been one for makeup, but I had not been blessed with the long, luscious eyelashes my mother had.

I walked to the bathroom and began my futile attempt to untangle my curly mane. It seemed that every time I ran the brush through my hair, it would immediately frizz back up. After a minute or so, I simply gave up trying to tame the wild beast and pulled it back into a large ponytail. I quickly applied my mascara, exiting the bathroom.

Upon exiting the bathroom, I heard a hasteful knock at the door. It had to be Meg. No one else could nearly knock a door down with such excitement. I ran to the door, opening it and throwing myself onto my friend's frail figure.

"Meg!" I exclaimed.

"Christine!" She replied. We continued to giggle like the teenage girls that we were, even a tear slipping out from the happiness we were feeling after being reunited. My best friend and I had not shared any amount of physical contact since we were 9. It had been rough, but our friendship had managed to last a long eight years. After nearly a minute of close contact, we broke our hug. "So, how have you been settling in?" My friend asked me.

"Oh, you know. The usual controlled chaos. How's your mom?" I asked her.

"Protective, as ever." She replied, rolling her eyes. It was true, Antoinette Giry had always been very protective over her only daughter. She had become pregnant with Meg while her husband Julian had been on leave from the army. However, he was killed in battle only a few months after. Mrs. Giry always felt that Meg was the only piece of her husband she had left, and therefore was always super protective.

"Well, that's to be expected. Tell me about the school. How is it?" I asked. It was no shock to Meg that I was terrified of going back to school with her. I hadn't exactly left on a high note. Of course, that wasn't unexpected from a nine-year-old's drama. It really was nothing too bad if you analyzed the situation.

A girl in my class, Cora, and I were going against each other for the lead role of "Annie". The high school had asked for girls from the elementary school to audition for the title role. I was cast as Annie, and Cora was none too happy about it. She did, however, get cast as my understudy, so she did everything in her power to try to get me sick. She even managed to put peanut butter in one of my costumes, causing me to have an allergic reaction at our costume fitting. It was one of my biggest worries coming back to Garnier.

"Oh you know, school is school. Teachers teach and we all wish that we could be anywhere else." Meg replied, laughing at her own humor. I simply rolled my eyes. "They're supposed to announce the spring musical this week. Rumors are that it's either going to be Thoroughly Modern Millie or Guys and Dolls. I'm hoping that it's gonna be Thoroughly Modern Millie so they'll let my mom choreograph again. There's really not that much dancing in Guys and Dolls." I laughed. Of course Meg wanted to do the dance heavy show. She had always been an amazing dancer, and even though her singing voice hadn't always been supreme, she still had a very nice voice. She would be a shoo-in for Millie or any other dancing role.

"I really hope we get to do Thoroughly Modern Millie, too. You'd be a shoo-in for Millie. Your tap skills were always quite better than mine." I replied, letting a laugh come out. I had only taken tap for a year, and that was with good reason. Meg was a well-rounded dancer, having experience in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, and who knows what else! Meg suddenly stood up quite dramatically, holding out her hand to me.

"Well, I only want to be Millie if you're my Miss Dorothy." My friend stated, adding a dramatic tone to the character's name. She fell to the ground, joining me once again, nearly dying of laughter. I joined her in her giggles. After a minute or so, our laughter ceased, and there was an awkward silence for a moment. "Hey, Christine?" Meg said, breaking our silence.

"Yeah?" I replied, hesitantly.

"You know that everything's gonna be fine, right?" I've heard this speech quite a few times in the last couple of months. I try to speak up to move on to another subject, but Meg automatically cut me right back off.

"I'm serious, Chris. I know that you're super freaked out about starting school tomorrow."

"Gee, how'd you guess?" I chuckle a bit with sarcasm in my tone.

"No one cares about what happened in fifth grade. And if someone like Cora still does, then that's their problem. You've got this Christine. I _believe _in you." She says, and I can't help but laugh at her apparent seriousness.

"Okay, Tony Robbins," I say, grabbing a pillow off of the floor, and chucking it at her face. We both erupt into a fit of giggles once again. We stopped once we heard the door open and close. "That's gotta be mom."

"Either that or an ax murderer." Meg doubled over in laughter, obviously still hyperactive from the caffeine. I picked up a pillow and threw it directly at her face.

"Okay Miss Comedienne, do you want pizza or not?"

"Pizza? I didn't know there was pizza involved. Let's go!"

Soon, my mother, Meg, and I were all situated at a makeshift table made out of boxes eating our pizza. For the first time, I wasn't consumed with anxiety over the new adventures that awaited me in the school year to follow. Maybe Meg was right. Maybe things would turn out alright.


	4. Floating Far From The Shore

**I'm hoping by posting my chapters in a more rapid fashion, I'll keep breaking my writers block. I say this because I've written 2 more chapters since Friday! I try to make my chapters at LEAST 1k, if not more around 1250-1500. **

**Also, I know my chapter titles might be a little weird, at least I think they are. In my years of being on this site, I see so many people using Phantom lyrics, which is completely valid, but I wanted to do something different. So, I made a playlist of songs without any Phantom albums and I try to find a lyric from one of these songs that I think speaks to the chapter. Some of them are a bit more obvious than others, but if you recognize the song the lyric is from, let me know in the reviews! **

**I know I've been building up Christine's first day for a while now, but next chapter we will see her first interaction with another familiar character who we haven't seen yet, so please be patient. I know there's not many readers at this point, but I've honestly been writing/rewriting this story since 2014, and I feel that it's at a good point now for me to start posting it, so I hope that you guys do enjoy it! Also, feel free to leave a review, but it's definitely not expected. Stay healthy and safe during this quarantine, and enjoy the chapter!**

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"_Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep."_

The chirping from my all-too-perky alarm clock woke me much sooner than I had hoped. After a minute or so of groaning and procrastinating, I flung my comforter off of my body and jumped out of bed. The cold tile of my bedroom floor caused me to shiver. I quickly searched underneath my bed for my fuzzy blue slippers. After what seemed like an eternity of searching, I slipped them on and felt much better. I could smell bacon and pancakes coming from the kitchen. I grabbed my robe and quickly tied it around myself, making my way towards the delicious smelling food. Once I reached the kitchen, I saw my mother standing over the stove, wearing a very similar ensemble to the one I had.

"Good morning Christine! Breakfast is almost ready. How would you like your eggs?" She asked, a sweetness in her tone.

"I don't think I want any eggs this morning. I don't want to fill up too much. Chances are I might end up seeing them again." I chuckled at my comment.

"Okay, let's not talk about that while I'm getting ready to eat food…" My mother now had a disgusted look on her face. I realized at that point that it may not have been the best subject to bring up at breakfast time, but I honestly didn't care. Even though Meg had calmed me down a bit the night before, I was still beyond nervous to start school that morning. While I was in my own thoughts, my mother placed a plate of bacon and pancakes in front of me, a glass of apple juice sitting next to it. "Eat up!" She said. "Meg is gonna be here in about a half-hour and you still need to get ready. Unless you were planning on going to school in your robe and slippers?" My mother cocked an eyebrow at me and I nearly spit out my juice. I quickly swallowed the gulp of juice to confront my mother on the comment.

"Most definitely not, thank you very much. I've got everything under control mom, don't worry." She smiled at me. The rest of breakfast was silent, as we both scarfed our food down to get ready for our respective responsibilities. Once I finished, I made my way back to my bedroom. It was still full of boxes, but I had unpacked the essentials for my first day. I sat down at my desk and turned on my light. I pulled my small mirror down off my shelf and placed it on my des, beginning to apply my makeup. Once I was satisfied with my look, I plugged in my curling wand, checking my phone as it heated up. I saw I had a text from Meg.

"_Good morning sunshine! I'm finishing up stuff here at home, and I'll be at your house in about 10 or 15. Love you! 3"_

I smiled at the sweet text. Meg had a way with words. It wasn't always necessarily grammatically correct, but her messages never failed to make me smile. I lightly touched my wand and drew my finger back quickly as I nearly burned my finger. I curled the nonconforming parts of my hair in a timely manner, finishing off my look with some hairspray. I dug around in my closet, pulling out two dresses. One was a long-sleeved navy blue with a white Peter Pan collar, the other was a sleeveless black and white striped dress. I couldn't decide between the two. I nearly called for my mother to help me, but I realized that that may not have been my best option. My mother by all means never made poor fashion choices, but I had a feeling that Meg would have a better idea of what I should wear to a public high school than my mother. I'm pretty sure that if it were up to my mother, I would end up wearing a white button-up with a skirt pantyhose, and a pair of tight high heels, which I definitely did not want.

Knowing that Meg had probably still not left home, I opened up Snapchat on my phone, snapping a picture of each of the dresses, sending them in hopes that she could make my decision for me. It seemed like only mere seconds had passed before my phone buzzed in reply.

_Blue dress! That shade looks really good with your complexion and hair! BTW I'm leaving now. I'll see you in 5! Love ya 3_

I smiled, making my way back towards the closet, pulling the blue dress off of the hanger and carefully slipping it over my head, being careful to not ruin my hair or makeup. I grabbed my blue butterfly backpack from underneath my bed, taking a moment to double-check that I had everything. Once I felt content with the contents of my bag, I slung it over my shoulder, grabbing my purse and double-checking to make sure I had my phone. I made my way towards the door.

"Where's my hug?" I playfully rolled my eyes as I heard my mother call from the kitchen. I turned around and entered the kitchen, making sure that she got the biggest hug I could muster. Before I could even let her go, I heard the shrill honking of Meg's car horn.

"I've gotta go, Mom. I love you! Have a good day at work!" I quickly spat out as I exited the apartment. I flew down the stairs to see Meg's bright red VW Bug waiting for me there. As I made my way down the final steps, I heard the shrill horn being nearly smashed by Meg's impatient hand.

"Daae! Let's go! Do you _want_ to be late on your first day of school?" How that girl always had so much energy, I'll never know.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold your horses, Giry." I playfully spat back. I opened the passenger side door, throwing my backpack to the floor and taking a seat beside my best friend. "So, how excited are you? On a scale of 1-10?"

"Hmm." She contemplated for a moment. "11.5. How about you?"

"What scale?" I asked.

"I dunno, 17-84?" She laughed and I rolled my eyes at the ridiculous numbers.

"17-84? Well, I guess I'll have to go with negative 4 then." I gave her a smug look and a shrug of the shoulders.

"Seriously? Are you still hung up about the whole Cora thing? I told you, you shouldn't worry about it. What you should worry about is how soon we'll be able to hook you up with a cute boy!" It seemed like this car ride was going to be full of eye rolls, as my eyes made the familiar circle once again.

"I think finding a boyfriend is going to be the least of my worries. I've gotta focus on my studies anyhow if I want to get into a good School of Music program. My main focus this year is to graduate without dying in the process." I chuckled as we turned into the school parking lot. I felt the butterflies that were already roaming around my stomach suddenly start to dart every which way. Once Meg found a suitable parking space, she stopped the car and we both grabbed our stuff. I closed my door behind me, standing still as fear paralyzed my body. This was it. There was no turning back at this point. Unless I wanted to walk five miles home, which I was honestly considering at that point. Meg noticed my stillness and walked around the car, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey. You've got this, babe. Besides, I'm going to be with you every step of the way. Take a big, deep breath, stand up straight, shoulders back, tummy in, lift the chin, and let's go." I followed her instructions to a "T". I continued taking deep breaths with every step I took towards the building that held so much fear over me. I knew that I should trust Meg, that the likelihood of anything going wrong on the first day was slim to none. Yet, I couldn't help but wonder what new surprises lie in store for me.


	5. I Turned The Corner

** Not much to say this time around. If you feel so inclined, leave a review or follow. Thank you to the few who are reading this story. I really do appreciate it. I hope you are all staying safe during social distancing. Enjoy this chapter and have a great day!**

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Through all of the anxiety that had racked through my body in the past few weeks, I hoped that once I entered school, everything would be fine and I would feel calm. Boy was I wrong.

Overwhelming couldn't even begin to describe how I felt as the hustle and bustle of what seemed like thousands of students roaming the halls occurred right before my eyes. I was a mere few steps into the school when I froze. Try as I might, I found it seemingly impossible to move my body as it was paralyzed by fear. It wasn't until a few annoyed students had pushed past me that I even noticed that there were others around. Meg had continued walking without me and turned to find me once she realized I was no longer by her side. She rushed to my side, grabbing me by the arm, forcing me to continue through the crowd. I felt my breath quicken and my head seemingly start to spin as Meg continued to pull me through the halls. Once we landed at her locker, I was able to regain my bearings a bit. As Meg spun her lock, I looked down at the notecard that I had pulled out of my purse.

"B177: 31-40-45"

I looked up to see Meg's locker number. Hers read as R203. I panicked for a moment, beginning to feel sick at the thought of not being beside my best friend and confidante for any part of my first day back.

"Hold on. What are you freaking out about?" Meg chided me.

"My-my locker isn't anywhere close to yours. I don't even know where it is." I blabbered out in what seemed to be one breath.

"Okay, first of all, I need you to stop hyperventilating so you don't pass out on me." I knew she was right, so I calmed down my breathing to keep myself conscious. "Now, what locker number are you at? I held up my notecard so she could see it.

"See, this says B177." I looked down, trying not to get too upset with our inevitable separation. Meg slightly rolled her eyes in my direction and gave out a long sigh.

"You worry too much, seriously. Your locker is just down the hall and to the right. It's alphabetical order, silly. It would've taken a miracle for us to get lockers even close to each other. I laughed. I guess she was right, but then again, she usually was.

"Okay. You're right." She laughed.

"I know. I usually am." I rolled my eyes in agreement. "I'll see you second hour okay? Do you think you'll be able to survive until then without me?" She grabbed my arm in a feigned loving matter. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her once more.

"As hard as I'm sure it will be, I think I will be able to manage." I returned in the same feigned manner. I was glad to have gotten myself calmed down. I hugged my friend, took a deep breath, and headed down the hall, walking tall and with confidence. Once I had turned right into the hall my locker was located in, I started focusing on the locker numbers, carefully scanning for mine as to not have to turn around later, making a fool of myself. As the numbers grew higher, I grew more excited to finally reach my locker. Once I had reached the 170's, my eyes locked onto every single locker. It wasn't until I was a mere two away from my locker that I ran into a rather tall and muscular obstacle.

"Oh my goodness. I am so, so sorry. I wasn't even paying attention." I immediately began to profusely apologize as I crouched down, attempting to save any flying papers, along with any notebooks and binders that had already met the floor. As I gathered the mixed belongings, I stood back up only to drop the items once again in disbelief. The young man before me immediately bent over as I had been a mere moments before, not allowing him to fully see me before I could utter his name.

"Raoul?" I asked as he stood back up, allowing himself to look at me fully. As he analyzed my face, I saw his face form into what I assumed to be a very similar expression to what I had on my face.

"Christine? Christine Daae? Is that really you?" I nodded, not knowing what else to do or say. He quickly set both of our things inside his locker as we attacked each other with a hug. We held onto each other for a few moments before he pulled away, a questioning look on his face. "But wait, didn't you move to Atlanta like, forever ago?"

"Yes, I did. A lot has happened since then, that's for sure. I actually just moved back here only a few days ago." I wanted to continue to explain but was interrupted at the minute bell rang, alerting us that we only had a minute more to get to class. "I guess I'll have to tell you later." We both stood there, kind of shifting our weight, myself more than him. "I could really use my books though if I could get them back." I gave a slight smile, hoping he would realize that he _had_ set them inside his locker. Suddenly, reality struck him, as his eyes widened in embarrassment.

"Oh gosh. Now I guess it's my turn to be sorry." I chuckled at his attempt to make a joke. "Where are you headed first? Let me walk you there. You know, to make up for almost locking your books in my locker."

"I suppose it will have to do for now…" I replied, sarcastically. "Let me look real quick," I said, pulling my schedule out of a tucked-away folder. "Well, this says that I have Firmin for History first hour. Room 202?" I asked, hoping he would pick up that I wanted him to show me where to go.

"No way! I have the same class! That's a crazy coincidence. But yeah, Firmin's room isn't too far away. If we hurry, we can make it before the bell rings." And he was almost right.

We reached the classroom right as the bell rang, attempting to hopefully sneak in before Mr. Firmin would notice. I recalled my discussion with Meg the night before though.

"_So, what's your schedule look like?" Instead of simply answering her question, I slid my paper over to her as I continued to pack my backpack. "Are you really that obsessed with your backpack that you can't even spare a few words for your best friend?" I rolled my eyes at her, which I noticed was becoming a common occurrence._

"_Would you just tell me what teachers I need to be worried about? I'm stressed enough as it is, the last thing I need is to get an unexpected scolding from a teacher I wouldn't suspect tomorrow." She let out a long sigh._

"_Fine." She hummed a tune I wasn't familiar with as she scanned over my schedule. "Well, it seems like you've got it pretty good. Obviously, watch out for my mom, but she also loves you, so she might go easy on you, if only for a little while." I chuckled, holding a sense of fear in my voice. While I did love Mrs. Giry, she was a bit intimidating. It also didn't help that the woman who had taught me dance for so long would not only be teaching dance for the school's drama department but would also be teaching me one of my worst enemies. Math._

"_I still don't get how someone like your mom can be so passionate about something as boring as math," I emphasized my last word, hoping to get across how disgusted I was with the subject. Meg continued on._

"_The only other person you should worry about is Mr. Firmin. He's super strict. Don't be late, because he will call you out on it."_

I wished I had remembered that advice before Raoul and I walked through the door.

"Mr. Chagny," I heard a very displeased, but still monotone voice meet us at the door. "Late on the first day? You've made a great first impression that's for sure. And you, Miss…?" I was at a loss for words, feeling all eyes on me as we were stopped in front of the entire class. Thankfully, Raoul answered for me.

"Daae." I could almost see the light bulb go off in his brain. "She just moved here from Atlanta. She got lost on her way, so I was helping her figure everything out."

"Is this true, Miss Daae?" Mr. Firmin questioned. I still could not seem to find my voice, so I quickly and repeatedly nodded, gaining a few giggles from across the room. "Alright, I'll allow it this once, but next time, I won't be as kind."

"Yes sir, of course, sir," Raoul said as he guided me towards two empty seats in the back. After a few minutes of Mr. Firmin going over rules and expectations, I grew bored. As my eyes grew heavier and heavier, I felt a nudge against my arm. I turned to see Raoul holding his face in his hands, similar to how I had situated my head. He stared at me, wide-eyed, a look of wanting to be anywhere else than where he was in the moment. After a minute more, Mr. Firmin allowed us to talk quietly while he worked on setting up our online classroom.

"So, now that we're free, catch me up on everything. How are your parents? And Charlotte? She's gotta be, what, twelve or thirteen now?" A long sigh escaped my lips as a couple of tears formed in my eyes. I couldn't blame Raoul for bringing up such sore subjects, as he obviously didn't know any better. I felt it only fair to inform him though, even if it was collectively and selfishly for my own sake.

"How much time do you have?"


	6. The Change In How We See

**Again, there's not much to say for this chapter. I've hit a bit of writer's block again, so it may be a while after the next chapter until I have more content for the few of you reading. If you feel so inclined, leave a review and let me know how I can improve. I feel like the story is moving kind of slowly, but I chalk that up to my need to make everything as detailed as possible (thank you university English). Besides that, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and I'll see you again soon!**

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After catching him up on what had happened in my life, Raoul attacked me with a hug. I had managed to hold my tears in, and as much as I wanted to let them out and sob into Raoul's chest, I also didn't want to attract any more unwanted attention to myself. After a moment or two, we parted from each other's embrace.

"I'm so sorry Christine. I wish there was something I could do." Raoul comforted me with his words.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. None of it was in your control; or mine for that matter. What's done is done, but I'm lucky enough to still have my mom." I said, wiping a few stray tears from my eyes. "But we've spent enough time talking about me. What's new with your life?"

"Nothing much." He said with a shrug, "Phil is pushing me to follow him into the family business, which means I barely have time to do anything else besides studying. Even if I don't have work, if he catches me doing something besides studying, he gets all up in my business about it." I wasn't shocked by this, as his older brother was made to take over the family business after their parents died in a tragic car accident when Philippe was only 20 and Raoul was 2. "Phil married this girl, Sarah, and I live with them and their two kids. They're little rascals, but I love them nonetheless." I was surprised at this, as I never thought Philippe was capable of stopping work long enough to fall in love, let alone start a family.

"That surprises me, but I'm glad that everything is great for you guys! What are their names?" I asked.

"Abigail and Christina. They're 5 and 3. They have a lot more energy than I do, that's for sure. I'll have to have you over sometime to meet them." He suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea! I would love to meet them!" I was excited at the thought. However, our plan-making was cut short once again by the irritating bell. We both groaned at our time together was cut short. My eyes shifted to meet his. "The world is not in our favor today, is it?" We both chuckled at the comment.

"No, I suppose it's not. I don't suppose you have Physics with Peters this next hour?" He asked.

"Unfortunately, no. I have Algebra 2 with Mrs. Giry." I audibly groaned at the thought of doing math this early in the morning.

"Do you have your schedule on you?" He asked, "Maybe we should just compare them now so we know what time we do have to hang out." Thinking slightly ahead of him, I began to fish for the folded up piece of paper from within my purse.

"Sure! Here's mine." I said, holding out my wrinkly, mess of a paper. He turned back towards me, his neat, crisp piece in hand. We exchanged papers, eagerly looking over the piece that had been handed to us. As my eyes scrolled down the page, I was slightly saddened to see that there was only one more class that we had together.

"Well," I met his eyes as he began speaking once again, "at least it's theatre. I'm assuming you still love singing and acting, given that you're in the class." I chuckled at his comment.

"Yeah. I do. I know it sounds super cheesy or whatever, but theatre has just been the one thing I knew would be there for me." As few as they were, tears began to form in my eyes. It was no secret to those close to me that I thrived in theatre. However, I didn't want to take the chance of making a scene, especially in front of my newly reacquainted friend. "Through everything that's happened, I knew that as long as I could find a stage, I would feel at home." I sighed, closing my eyes for just a moment. Upon opening them, I saw Raoul staring at me, nearly dumbfounded. I felt my cheeks turn a bright red, as I was sure I had made a complete fool out of myself at this point. "I'm so sorry. Like I said, it's super cheesy. I didn't mean to go on like that." I awkwardly giggled.

"No! You're fine. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare like that, but-" He stopped suddenly, surely searching for the words to say. "I never thought of it that way. For me, it's just always been a hobby that I enjoyed in my free time. Especially with, well, everything you've gone through-.". He paused for a moment. "The way you paint it, it's just so beautiful." We both smiled awkwardly at each other, knowing that we both had stumbled on long enough. "I guess I'm the one who's being cheesy now, huh?" He gave me a sly smile.

"Oh no! You're fine! I didn't mean to-" My speech stopped mid-sentence as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Christine…" There was something in the air, you could just feel it! We were both speechless. I'm not sure if it was teenage hormones or the fact that we were rushed with emotions after being reunited. I'm not sure if it was just me, but I swear I saw Raoul inching his face closer to mine as if he was going to kiss me. The late bell rang through the nearly empty hall, alerting us that we were late once again. We both jumped back as the bell brought us back to reality, forcing us to leave our own little world behind. We both opened our mouths to speak but struggled to find words. After a moment or so of stumbling for the words to say, I finally spoke.

"Well, I guess we had better get to class then, huh?". I chuckled, awkwardly shuffling my feet, awaiting the appropriate time to leave.

"Heh. Yeah, I guess we probably should." His eyes shifted to the floor as he matched my shuffling feet. "I'll see you in theatre then?"

"Yeah, I'll see you then." I held my books close to my chest as I began to walk into the next hallway at a fast pace. Once I was certain that I was going the right way and saw that I was out of sight of Raoul, I stopped in the hall and lightly fell back against a locker. I had never felt this way before.

"What am I doing?" I thought to myself, realizing my need to get to class. I did my best not to dart down the hall, thoughts of Raoul clouding the back of my head.


	7. The Smile I Used To Know

**I know I sound like a broken record, but now that states are reopening (for my US readers at least), please continue to be cautious. I know I'm saying this every chapter, but I work in an environment with COVID recovery patients, so I'm struggling a bit right now as I have to be isolated in a room in my family's garage because both of my parents have weakened immune systems. Either way, take care of each other and reach out to someone if you need help. I know I'm just a stranger on the internet, but if you just need someone to talk to, my inbox is open. I hope my writing can bring some joy into your life. Leave a review if you feel so inclined, but enjoy this chapter! :)**

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The rest of the day passed by with very few problems. I had been dreading lunch prior to the time, but after receiving my food, I saw a familiar blonde girl sitting at a table near the front of the cafeteria. I sat down next to Meg and was able to be introduced to a few of her friends. I wouldn't consider myself a social butterfly by any means, but I did enjoy getting to meet new people. Lunch went by without a hitch, but as I took my tray up I noticed something out of the ordinary. In the back right corner of the cafeteria, there was a boy sitting by himself. He wore a black hoodie, blocking my ability to see his face.

As I continued my walk back to Meg and her friends, I swore I could see a flash of the white show from the under the hood of the boy that continued to tuck himself away in a corner. There was a part of me wanted to invite him to sit with my newly found friends and me, but the other part of me figured that he wanted to sit alone for a reason, although I couldn't quite peg why. In the end, my anxiety got the better of me and I went back to my seat; not giving the mysterious boy another thought.

"So, how are you liking your first day at Garnier?", Meg's friend Jamie asked, shoveling another spoonful of fruit "cocktail" into her mouth. I was never one for school lunches and was quite glad I had taken the time the night before to pack my own.

"It's alright,'' I replied. "Nothing extraordinary yet, but you know, we're only halfway through the day. I'm still really excited about theatre."

"Don't get too excited," Meg's friend Laura said; "Mr. Andre definitely plays favorites. The cast list will come out, Cora and Peter will be playing the leads, a select few will play smaller roles, and the rest of us will spend the semester, building, painting, sewing, and whatever else he doesn't want to do himself." I felt my heart drop slightly in my chest. I definitely had no plans of actually getting a lead, but there was still a bit of hope for at least a part in the chorus at the very least.

"Don't scare her away," Meg said, giving Laura a light slap on the shoulder. "He hasn't even announced the show yet. For all we know, he could have completely lost his mind and chosen some show with an alto lead." There was a moment of silence that surrounded our table amidst the bustle of the loud cafeteria.

"Like what?" Jamie asked. Another moment of silence seemed to stretch on for eternity.

"That's a good point," Meg replied. "Someone should work on that. Still, you never know. The school might have finally realized that he's an incompetent teacher and had him fired." Following that statement, the bell rang. Our group grabbed their trays and lunch bags, dumping our trash in the provided cans on our way out of the cafeteria.

Jamie and Laura waved goodbye as they went on to their own classes. Meg and I, however, both had a study hall right after lunch, which was conveniently located right across the hall from the cafeteria

The bell rang again, signaling the start of class. Mr. Khan, the librarian, took a moment to introduce himself and set the ground rules for our time in his class. After about ten minutes, he gave us the rest of the class to work on any work we may have already been assigned or to talk quietly. I saw some students dig into their backpacks, pulling out various sheets of paper. One kid pulled out a textbook that seemed to be the size of his desk and I wanted to weep for him. Meg scooted her chair closer to mine, checking me in the shoulder lightly. I gasped lightly, grabbing my shoulder and rubbing my upper-arm to relieve some of the pain.

"Sorry," Meg whispered, leaning in closer for me to hear. "So, give me the real tea. You've been so out of it since I saw you this morning." I thought hard for a moment. Did I tell her about Raoul? After all, it was just normal catching up between friends. It wasn't like there was anything between us.

Or was there?

"Hello?! Earth to Christine!" Meg nearly shouted, garnering a shush from Mr. Khan at his desk. "Tell me, what's been going on with you. You were so distant during lunch, it felt like you were on another planet!" I decided to take my chance in telling her about Raoul.

"Do you remember Raoul de Chagny?" I asked, still intimidated by the thought of sharing this with even my best friend.

"Remember him? Christine, he's my cousin. Not only do I see him at school. But I have to see him every holiday, whether I want to or not. Of course! I had completely forgotten that Meg and Raoul were cousins.

"Well, I saw him today and we were able to chat during class and catch up a bit." I told her, sheepishly.

"Oh gosh, I never told him about everything that happened with your siblings, and he doesn't even know about your dad. How did he take it?" Meg asked, grasping my arm.

"I mean-" I faltered, "He took it as well as anyone could in that situation. Reunite with your childhood friend, then within an hour find out that her father and two siblings died between then and now." I chuckled, at the irony of it all. "In reality, he took it very well and was very supportive of me. It was actually really nice, because instead of just showing pity towards me, he wanted to know how I was. How I was mentally handling it all. With all of the insanity I've faced in the past months, no one outside of you have really asked how I am. And I don't just mean an obligatory "How are you doing?", but to really ask how I am doing-" I trailed off, not wanting to delve into my emotions anymore than I already had.

Deep down, I knew I wasn't doing well, but I had forced myself to put on a show of sorts, if only for my mother. I had to be strong for her. I was all she had left, and vice versa. It was at that moment that I looked down at my hands, which were beginning to shake quite violently. Meg noticed this as well, leaning in to grab my hands, attempting to steady them. I felt a few tears begin to form in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. It seemed that my state had gone unnoticed by most of the people in the classroom, except for Mr. Khan, who had seemingly appeared at my side.

"Christine dear, are you alright? Meg looked quite worrisome, so I thought I would check on you." I forced the tears away from my eyes and cleared my throat slightly.

"I'm fine, thank you Mr. Khan. Just got too in my own head. You know how it is?" I ended with a chuckle, hoping that my feigned humor would convince him that I was fine.

"I see. Well, Miss Daae, if you should need anything, please know that you are always welcome to visit me here, as long as it is alright with your other teachers. I understand you've been under a great deal of stress in the past few months. Again, my door is always open for you." He stood, giving my back a slight pat, and headed back to his desk on the other side of the room. I closed my eyes, taking another deep breath.

"Mr. Khan?" I asked, sheepishly. He turned to acknowledge his name. After a moment, I gained the courage to actually address him. "Thank you."

"No Miss Daae," he said, "thank _you_."


End file.
